District Thirteen
by TarrentBellatrixBurtonTodd
Summary: Now that they're in District Thirteen, ready for the ultimate rebellion, Gale reunites with an old friend, who has lost everything due to the destruction of 12. when he hears she wants to fight, he fears for her life, for what is life with out love?
1. Chapter 1

District thirteen is so different to my twelve. I miss twelve much more than I ever thought I might. I spent most of my life wanting to be somewhere else, away from starvation, but now it's actually gone…

I lost my mother and father to the Capitol bombs. When the planes came, I didn't know what to think. The Seam wasn't the first to be attacked, so I got a fair few minutes warning, just to pack what's important to me and get out of there. Fast. For father it was more complicated. He was in the mines. Mother went after him almost at once. I waited as long as I had for them, but it was too late. I have no one now.

I awoke at around three in the morning, as usual. I never slept well anymore. I got up and found the thirteen assigned clothes and quietly eased the door of my room open. It was dark and cold in the hall, but dark and cold never had bothered me in the slightest. I tiptoed down the corridor until I reached the hall marked special weaponry. I slipped past the snoozing guard, whose drool now occupied most of the floor beneath his feet , and prized the door open with care, so as to make no noise.

This was the place in all of district thirteen that I could be of some use. As I past the rows of guns, I tapped my finger slightly on each of the barrels, and brushed my hand along each bow. I ended up at the section of blades of all different kinds. From swords to daggers. From axes to pen knives, they had them all. I carefully ran my fingers along the blade of a particular sword that always took my fancy when I came here to hide every night. I took hold of the handle and lifted it slowly from its plinth. It felt light, almost peaceful, yet deadly when used by the right hands. I started to train, as quiet as possible. I sliced, stabbed, amputated and impaled the dummies around the training area. I had just impaled the last one, when I heard a familiar voice behind me, 'Seriously, Holly, what has that dummy ever done to you?'

I got such a shock dropped the sword onto the hard, cold floor. The noise rang through the hall. I spun round to see Gale laughing at my horrified face.

'Gale you do realise I will take your head off right here right now if that guard comes over!'

Gale mearly laughed at me and picked up the sword at my feet. He turned it over and over examining its every inch. He then handed it back to me, saying as he did so, 'not a bad choice, if I saw so myself. It suits you.'

I crossed my arms and looked at him, 'How does it suit me?'

'Well, it's a bit rusty,' he said in a sarcastic voice, holding it by the blade so that the handle pointed to me, 'but it has potential!'

I took the handle and pointed the tip of the blade to his throat, 'go on then! Lets see who's the rusty one in the end!'

Gale took a nearby sword and stepped back, holding it out, ready to attack. He tied to hit my left side, but was blocked. Right, blocked. He went then for just over my heart, but I blocked his blow, swiped his balance by stepping on his foot. He dropped his sword, fell to the floor, as I picked up his blade pointing both at his face.

'Not bad, Lee, not bad at all! And all that's of fighting lifeless dummies who don't fight back?' he said, breathing heavily. I dropped both swords on the floor, and held out my hand to help him up. He took it.

'Got to survive, haven't we?' I asked, 'Got to actually try not to be fish in a barrel for the Capitol to shoot blindfolded?' I took up the swords again, placing the one Gale had used back where he got it from but keeping mine by my side.

Gale looked at me with a quizzical look. 'You don't have to though. You're not going out there to fight.'

'Gale, I want to fight. I want to help. That's why I come here every night. Not for a bit of fun!'

Gale just looked at me. He touched my copper red hair so gently. When he let go, he merely said, 'please. Holly. Please don't do anything stupid.'

This annoyed me even more than it should have done. 'Gale Hawthorne! You get to fight for the ones you love but I don't get to fight for mine?'

'Holly, there's no one left for you to love!' he said angrily, his voice rising now like mine had.

'Really Gale? Really? You clearly don't know me well enough then!' I shouted, my grip on the sword tightening. This answer stopped him. He looked at me for just a second, with an angry look, and then slightly fading; he took my face in his hands and kissed me.


	2. Chapter 2

I couldn't understand. I didn't really want to. Gale, he was always such a good friend to me. Not as close as Katniss Everdeen ever was, but close all the same. I was always slightly jealous of Katniss, because I knew he always liked her, but I was never expecting this. I pulled away quickly and looked at him in disbelief. What was going on? Why was he doing this? Was it to get me to shut up, because he did a great job of it there! Or was it because he actually wanted to? My eyes met his grey and I kissed him back. I don't know how long we stood there for, but it felt like an age. We may have stayed like that for an age if it wasn't for Gale's communicuff going off. We broke away once more and he looked down to see who was calling.

'It's Coin. It must be urgent, or she wouldn't call at this time.' He said, quietly. What was the time? How long had we stayed there? He looked at me as if waiting for a reply, but I couldn't think of what to say. What did you say when something like this happened?

'Gale? What…?' I began, but he cut me off.

'I have to go.'

He turned to leave, but he wasn't getting off that easy. I grabbed his wrist, and he turned around again. 'What do you think your doing? What, you kiss me then you leave, without giving me an answer? How ignorant are you? I was annoyed now, and you could tell by the tone of my voice. He was too when he answered.

'Ignorant? Ignorant! I have to go or I may lose my position!'

'Really? Really, Gale? I'm sure they wouldn't miss you for the 30 seconds it may take you to explain where your coming from?' I said, my voice growing louder.

'Oh right, 'cause your _so_ smart tell me, where do you think I was coming from?' he said in a harsh tone that made my flesh crawl. This wasn't like him.

'I don't know, did you think you would make the pain easier? Maybe you thought 'Oh! She just lost her family, so why don't I kiss her and leave just to make it all better again?' I was shouting now. My temper rising. Gale looked at me, not with anger, but with, was it _pity_?

'Do you really think I would do something like that? Is that what you think of me? I didn't think you were that low, Holly, I really didn't!' he said in a quiet voice that struck me like a knife.

'So what was it then, Gale, because I really would like to know, and be honest!'

'Maybe it was the fact that I actually care?'

This stopped me. _Care_? Was it right that Gale Hawthorne cared about _me_?

'Gale? What do you mean?' I asked slowly, wishing the answer I thought was right.

He took a deep breath and said, 'Because I love you.'

'You what?'

'I love you.'

Silence. That was what followed. The whole room was ringing with a deafening silence. What did I say to this? I love you too? Because that was what I had known for long time. I just didn't know he loved me too.

He sighed again. 'Well? Say something?' He folded his arms and added , 'You do realise that I am getting later and later for this urgent meeting with Coin's lot?'

'Gale, I'm sorry. Your not ignorant at all! I love you, Gale. I'm sorry!' I said, crying slightly, ashamed of what I had said. He took hold of my hands.

'What did you say?'

I took a deep breath and said again, 'I love you.'

He smiled slightly and said quietly, 'now lets try that first kiss again?'

And he kissed me again, not like before, but almost like he would never see me again. I kissed him back. I relised now something I had never admitted to myself properly before. I love Gale Hawthorne.


End file.
